Funny is not a color. Being black is only good from the time you get from the curtain to the microphone.

Wilson contrasts the universality of comedy with the social realities of race. “Funny is not a color” asserts that humor should not be judged or limited by a performer’s racial identity; the craft is meant to reach beyond categories. The second sentence is more sardonic: it suggests that, in American entertainment culture, being Black is treated as an “asset” only within the narrow window of performance—once the comedian steps offstage, the broader burdens of racism return. Read together, the lines critique an industry (and audience) that may applaud Black talent while still confining Black people to stereotypes or conditional acceptance.